Seoul, 14 October (Yonhap) — A South Korean Buddhist group announced Wednesday that it will renew its efforts to get the Dalai Lama to visit South Korea., stating that the spiritual leader expressed his wish that the Seoul Government approve the visit.
The Buddhist priest Kumkang, in charge of the preparation committee for the Dalai Lama's visit, said at a press conference in Seoul that when he visited the spiritual leader, last month in India, informed him of the South Korean group's intention to organize his visit to South Korea in April 2017, adding that the Dalai Lama accepted the proposal and was willing to travel if the South Korean Government approves the plan, giving priority to South Korea over any other possible trips.
The South Korean government rejected the requests of Buddhist circles, including proposals made in 2002 and 2007, to allow the Dalai Lama to visit South Korea, for fear that such a visit could damage Seoul's relations with Beijing.
In this regard, The head of the committee said the situation is different now because the Dalai Lama no longer belongs to the Tibet Government in exile and is simply a religious leader., so the issue is no longer political.
